Mechanism for handling hot metal plates or sheets



' W. A. LACKE MECHANISM FOR HANDLING HOT METAL PLATES 0R SHEETS Original Filed Mav 23 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 24, 1926. 1,596,881

w. A. LACKE MECHANISM FOR HANDLING HOT METAL PLATES OR SHEETS Original Filed Mav 23, 1921 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 341/00 1 1'0 mlZz'am/flliac & 15 W fill-tom MP Aug. 24 1926. 1,596,881

. w. A. LACKE MECHANISM FOR HANDLING HOT METAL PLATES OR SHEETS Original Filed May 25, 1921 s Shets-Sheec 5 F15 6 5; 6 I ll 48 /l l Who z mum/7'; ,14: Lac

Patenteel Aug; 24, 1926.

WILLIAM A. LACKE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MECHANISM FOR HANDLII TG HGT METAL ELATES OR SHEETS.

Original application filed May 23, 1921, Serial No. 471,708, Patent No. 1,451,879, dated April 17, 1923.

Divided and this application filed November 8, 1922.

This invention relates to mechanism for handling large hot metal plates or sheets, such as are corrugated and subsequently used for freight car ends, from the time they come from a heating furnace until they have passed through and are removed from a corrugating or other stamping machine and to do it in such a way that a large producion can be handled with accuracy and precision as to the placing and removing of individual plates and with comfort to the operator.

The invention comprises mechanism for attaining the foregoing objects, which is of economical construction, is very satisfactory in use, and is not liable to get out of order. lvfore particularly, my invention consists of many features and details of construction more fully set forth hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1, is a diagrammatic view showing a portion of a plate heating furnace; a corrugating press; mechanism for delivering a plate from the furnace to the corrugat-ing press; mechanism for centering a plate in the press, and mechanism for removing the plate from the press.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, is a sectional elevation of the corrugat-ing dies, showing a plate between the same.

Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary views, partly in section, illustrating different positions of plate-engaging means employed for removing the corrugated plates from the press.

Fig. 6, is a fragmentary plan view illustrating a portion of the means employed for positioning a plate in the corrugating press.

Fig. 7, is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 6, in position to permit a plate to pass on to the lower platen of the press and ready for movement to position the plate for the corrugating operation- Fig. 8, is a View similar to Fig. 7 showing the plate-positioning means after a plate 50 has been brought into position for corrugating. and V Fig. 9, is a fragmentary view of the parts shown in Figs. 7 and 8, showing the pos1tion- Serial No. 599,636.

ing means after lifting the plate from the lower die following the corrugating step, preparatory to removal from the press.

In Figure 1, 12 indicates a furnace through which sheet metal plates 14 are successively fedthrough positions 14, 14 to delivery position 14 by the mechanism fully set forth in my pending applications filed May 2, 1921 and November 29, 1922, Serial Nos. 466,184, and 603,939, respectively. On arriving at position 14, alate 14 rests upon supports 16 at the end of the furnace, and is adapted to be moved to the left as viewed in Fig. 1 along rails 18 to the position 14 where it rests upon the lower die member 20, of ahydraulio corrugating press 21, ready for cooperative engagement of an upper die member 22, in order that corrugations, indicated at 24, Figs. 3 and 9, may be impressed therein.

In order that the plate 14 may be moved from position 14 to position indicated at 14 upon the lower die or platen, a track comprising rails 26 is provided, as shown in Fig. 1, extending past the end of the furnace and parallel with the rails 18. A car 30, driven by any suitable means as, for instance, an electric motor 32, travelson the rails 26. Extending from the side of this car over the rails 18, is a truss frame 34, which carries a pivoting shaft 36 on which is journaled a plate pushing member 38, normally sustained in horizontal position by counterweights 40. The member 38 is notched at 42 at its forward end for engagement with a plate, and being movable horizontally in the plane of said plate when the operator starts motor 32 to move car 30 to the left, with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, said notched portion 42 engages a plate and moves the same from the supports 16 onto and along the rails 18 until said. plate reaches its position over the die member 20. Because of the fact that the upper level of this die member is below the plane of the rails 18, the plate drops from the ends of said rails and the frame member practically follows it in its fall; tilting to the dotted line positionindicated in Fig. 2. As soon as the plate has taken its position on the lower die 20, the, operator reverses the motor 32; withdrawing the car 30 and its pushing mechanism from the position indil cated by dotted lines, to-the position indicated by full lines Fig. 2, Where it is ready for engagement with the next plate delivered from the furnace 12.

in ordinary practice, this pushing mechanism operated by car 80 will put the plate l-l within approximately a. half inch of correct position upon the lower die 20, but this is not accurate enough as it is very desiraole and essential to avoid the expense or": trinnning a large amount of metal from the plate, for all metal cut oil is substantially waste. For this reason, it is necessary to provide means such as that forming the subject of this particular invention for accurately positioning the plate.

This device includes a plurality of air cylinders ii, in the present instance, disposed on opposite sides of the die 20 and on adjacent sides of the line of travel of the plate as it enters the corrugating press with an additional cylinder e6 placed at the entrance end of the press below the level of th rails 18 so that it is out 01" the way of plate 14- as it travels into the die press in the manner described. These cylinders may be supported by brackets 47, mounted on the base oi? the press.

Each of the cylinders 44, and the cylinder 46, provided with a conventional form of piston 4-8 controlled by the admission and withdrawal of fluid pressure through pipe 50 under the control of an operator. Each piston d8 drives a piston rod 52-which e-X- tends outward from the end of its cylinder toward the die press and carries a crosshead guided by rods 56. Each crosshead 54: carries on its face which is away from the cylinder a notched jaw 60, having a. relatively long projecting, lower wedgeshaped linger 62, adapted to travel on the upper surface of the edge portion 64: of the die 20. The travel of each of these jaws 60 is such that when in the position indicated in 7, they are entirely out oi": the way of plate 14, which is being moved onto or from die 20, and that when moved to the position of Fig. 8, in the act of placing the plate, th inner portion 66 of each aw 60 engages an edge of the plate to accurately position it on the lower die member of the press and that after the plate has been stamped, as shown in Fig. 9, said jaws are again moved from the position of Fig. 7 to that of Fig. 9. When the lower portion 62 of the jaws 60 is wedged under the plate, the latter is lifted by the inward movement of. these jaws 60 from the position indicated by Figs. 3 and 4, to that indicated by Fig. 9, where the plate is shown as entirely clear of the corrugations in the die member 20, and can be readily removed.

V hen the operator has manipulated notched jaws 60 to accurately position the plate over the die 20, he manipulates the press by mechanism not here involved, to

lower the die 22 from the position shown in Fig. 2, where it contacts and corrugates the plate as shown in Fig. 3, and then withdraw it. l he operator then again nninipulates the notched jaws 60 to lift the plate into the position shown in Fig. 9, in which position the plate is ready to he withdrawn from the corrugating press. Special mechanism for this purpose may be provided as follows: Disposed at the discharge end of the corrugating press are rails 70 onto which the corrugated plate l i may be moved from the press. Parallel to the rails TO, I pro vide other rails 72, upon which a car 74:, is arranged to travel; suitably propelled by any suitable means as, for instance, an electric motor indicated at 76. Overhanging the side of the car 74:, is truss trams 78 which may extend to the center line of the rails 70; such truss being provided with gripping mechanism comprising a fixed jaw 80, having a relatively sharp wedge-shaped point 82, which may be presented to the end of the die member 20 as indicated in Fig. 4:, and moved from that position to the position indicated in 5; thereby lifting the plate from the surface of the die. To facilitate entrance of the wedge-shaped point 82, between the plate and the die men ber, the latter may have a beveled notch 83, toward which the movement of said point is directed. Pivotally connected to the 80, is another jaw 84, operable by a lever 86, arranged to be pulled in an upward direction by a solenoid core 88, disposed in a suitable coil 90, mounted on the truss In the operation of this part of my inproved mechanism, the parts are normally in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. hen a corrugated plate is to be removed from the press, the attendant operates the motor 76 to advance the car mechanism so as to bring the gripping jaws to the position shown in Fig. 4:, then to the position shown in Fig. 5, after which the solenoid is energized to effect such movement of the core as will cause the jaw 8ato grip the plate against the jaw 82. The motor 76 is now operated in the reverse direction to move the car 74; away from the press and withdraw the plate from position 14: in the press onto the rails 70, from which it may he removed and further handled by any suitable mechanism, as for instance that shown in my application filed Nov. 13, 1922, Serial No. 600,634.

In actual practice, the mechanism forming the subject of this invention has been used in connection with that of said prior applications and patent, to commercially produce very large savings in connection with the manufacture of corrugated plates.

What- I claim is:

1. The combination of a die press for inlpressing large sheet metal plates, a plurality of independently operable plate-engag- 1ng members mounted at separated distances at several sides of the press, supports for 7 said plate-engaging members carried by the base of the press, and means for independently moving each of said plate-engaging members between two different positions; in one of which positions they are out of the way to permit a plate to be moved onto the press and in the other of which they engage said plate to position it on the lower die member of the press.

2. The combination with a die press for impressing large sheet metal plates, of a plurality of plate-engaging members mounted at separated distances at several sides of the press, supports for said plate-engaging members carried by the base of the press, and means for simultaneously moving said plate-engaging members between two different positions, in one of which positions they are out of the way to permit a plate to be moved onto the press and in the other of which they engage said plate to center it on the lower die member of the press; said plate-engaging members being formed with flaring notches adapted to embrace the edges of the plate while the lower portions thereof serve as wedges to slightly elevate a plate from said lower die member ofthe ress. p 3. The combination with the lower die member of a press for impressing large sheet metal plates, of an air cylinder located at one side of said die member and supported by the base of the press, apiston and piston rod operable in said cylinder and reciprocable with respect to the die member, a plateengaging jaw secured to said piston rod and movable thereby toward and from said lower die member at approximately the plane of a plate resting thereon, and means for operating said piston rod to move said plateengaging aw whereby it may position a plate on said lower die member.

4. The combination with the lower die member of a hydraulic press, of an air cylinder located at one side of said die member and supported by the base of the press, a piston and piston rod operable in said cylinder and reciprocable with respect to the lower die member, a plate-engaging member movable by said piston rod toward and from the die member; said plate-engaging member having a notched face disposed toward the die member providing a lower wedge-shaped portion adapted as the plateengaging member reciprocates to travel along the edge of the die for the purpose of lifting a plate therefrom.

5. The combination with a die press for corrugating or otherwise deforming a large sheet metal plate, two horizontally disposed die members for this purpose, a track at the side of the press higher than the normal work receiving position of the lower die member for conducting a plate into said press and onto said lower die member, a cylinder under said track, piston and piston rod mechanism in said cylinder movable in and out toward the lower die member of the press, a plate-engaging member on the end of the piston rod adapted when moved to extreme posit-ion toward the die member to assist in positioning a plate thereon, and a mechanically moved plate pushing member traveling over the track to push a plate on the track onto the lower die member and clear of said plate-engaging member moved by the cylinder.

6. The combination with a die press for corrugating or otherwise deforming large sheet metal plates, of a pair of horizontally disposed die members for effecting corrugation or other deformation ofv said plates, a track at the side of the press higher than the normal work-receiving position of the lower die member for conducting a sheet into said press and onto said lower die member, a cylinder disposed beneath said track, piston and piston rod mechanism in said cylinder movable with respect to said track toward and from the lower die member of the press, a plate-engaging member on the end of said piston rod adapted when moved to the extreme position toward the die member to assist in-positioning a plate thereon. and a mechanically operated tiltable platepushing member traveling over said track and arranged to push a plate from said track onto the lower die member and clear of said plate-engaging member moved by the cylinder; the tilting of said pushing mechanism permitting it to follow the downward movement of a plate being moved into said press after it leaves the rails until it reaches its approximate position on said lower die member.

7. The combination with a die press for corrugating or otherwise deforming a large sheet metal plate, two horizontally disposed die members for this purpose, a track at the side of the press higher than the normal work receiving position of the lower die member for conducting a plate into said press and onto said lower die member, a plate-engaging member reciprocable parallel to the track and adapted, when moved to extreme position toward the die member, to assist in positioning a plate thereon, means unobstructing the track for reciprocating said plate-engaging member, and a mechanically moved plate pushing member travelin over the track to push a plate on the trac onto the lower die member and clear of the plate-engaging member.

8. The combination with a die press for corrugating or otherwise deforming large sheet metal plates having two horizontally 1 disposed die members for this purpose, of a track at the side of the press higher than the normal work-receiving position of the lower die member for conducting a sheet into said press and onto said lower die member, a plate-engaging member reciprocable parallel to said track and adapted, when moved to the extreme position toward the die member, to assist in positioning a plate thereon, means disposed below said track for reciprocating said plate-engaging member, a mechanically moved plate-pushing member traveling over the track to push a sheet 0a" the tr cl; and onto the lower die member clear of the plate-engaging member, and means permitting the tilting of said platepushing member whereby it may follow the edge of a plate being moved after it leaves said track and until it reaches its approximate position on the lower die member.

9. T he combination of a die press for corrugating or otherwise deforming large sheet metal plates, a pair or horizontally disposed die members for effecting corrugations or other deformation of said plates mounted in said press, a traclr at the side of the press higher than the normal work-receiving position of the lower die member whereby a plate may be conducted into said press and onto said lower die member, a cylinder disposed beneath said track, piston and piston rod mechanism in said cylinder movable with respect to said track toward and from the lower die member of the press, a notched plate-engaging member on the end of said piston rod adapted when moved to the eX- treme position toward the die member to assist in positioning a plate thereon, a tiltable plate pushing member traveling over said track and arranged to push a plate therefrom onto the lower die member clear of said plate-engaging member moved by the piston and piston rod mechanism; the tilting of said plate-pushing member permitting it to follow the downward movement of a plate being moved after it leaves the track and until it reaches its approximate position on the lower die member, and means for reciprocating said plate-pushing member.

10. The combination of a die press for corrugating or otherwise deforming large sheet metal plates, two horizontally disposed die members mounted in said press, a track at the side of the press higher than the normal work-receiving position or" the lower die member from which a plate may be conducted into said press and onto said lower die member, a plate-engaging member reciprocable parallel to said track beneath the same and adapted, when moved to the extreme position toward the die member, to assist in positioning a plate thereon. means for reciprocating said plate-engaging member, a mechanically moved tiltable plate-pushing member traveling over said track to push a plate oil the track and onto the lower die member of the press clear of the plateengaging member disposed below said track; the tilting of said plate-pushing member permitting it to follow the edge ot a plate being moved after it leaves the track and until it reaches its approximate position on the lower die member of the press, and means for shifting the plate on the lower die member at substantially right angles to its path of movement into the press to effect its final positioning before the pressing operation.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

WILLIAM A. LAGKE. 

